John K. Beatty
building contractor, player
b. probably Drumraney, near Ballymore, County Westmeath circa 1835
d. Chicago, Illinois Dec. 31, 1913
From the group photo "Irish Music Club, Chicago" in Irish Minstrels and Musicians by Francis O'Neill, 1913 p. 479 The photo was taken before 1904.
John K. Beatty was an amateur piper, well known in Chicago in the last third of the nineteenth century. Like many pipers of this era, much of what is known about his musical life comes from the writings of music collector Francis O'Neill.
Beatty grew up in County Westmeath and emigrated to the United States as a young man. First to Brooklyn, perhaps around 1855, and to Chicago by 1860. He lived in Chicago the rest of his life.
His last name was variously spelled Beatty, Beaty, Beattie, and he was a bricklayer or mason, and later became a construction supervisor and contractor. As construction contractor his specialty seems to have been sewers and water drains.
When young he was a good dancer and lilter, but did not begin playing an instrument until after moving to Chicago. O'Neill says that he was taught by the "veteran piper James Quinn" (circa 1805-1888).
O'Neill moved to Chicago in 1870. He first heard of Beatty some time between 1878 and 1884, when O'Neill was a policeman working at the Deering Street Station. He was impressed with Beatty as a personality, a character, but not as a musician. O'Neill mentions Beatty's "good humor and blinding egotism...." He writes of "Our friendship and mutual respect" but that is hard to square with his accounts of the man.
- Nothing pleased him better than an audience, only they must be demonstrative in their appreciation in order to obtain the best results. This saved time, for if they relaxed at all in catering to his vanity he suspended the performance to tell how much superior he was to all other pipers. Yet withal he was the soul of geniality, and did not intend to reflect on anybody. It was not that they were poor or indifferent players, but that his superlative excellence put him in a class by himself. Execution - too much of it - he had, but neither time nor rhythm. He was truly the dancer's despair, although an excellent dancer himself.
In his books O'Neill tells a few amusing stories about Beatty, most of them at Beatty's expense. O'Neill does not acknowledge him as a source of tunes for his Irish music collections as he does with several other Chicago-based musicians.
There are a few newspaper references to Beatty playing in public. The earliest announcement which suggests this is an ad in a show business trade paper based in New York City, the New York Clipper, May 27, 1882.
"... the champion Irish bagpiper in the western country." Is this an example of Beatty's "blinding egotism"? Or a joke or tease instigated by friends?
From 1885 to 1899 there are occasional notices of public appearances by Beatty, mostly at concerts and many sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He played for the AOH St. Patrick's Day celebration for a few years running. At their reunion and ball, 1888, "The 'piece de resistance' was a selection of Irish airs from Irish pipes, the performer, Mr. John Beatty, being the only player of the harmonic pipes in America, the announcement cards stated." At their 1890 celebration "John Beaty played several Irish airs on the Irish bagpipes and made the audience almost wild with applause."
Beatty played at least once at the Chicago World's Fair, 1893, at the dedication of Lady Aberdeen's Irish Village on May 11th.
The last mention of a public appearance, and the only one outside of Chicago, concerns Beatty's participation in a carnival parade in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 29, 1899. An entertaining article describes the difficulties of Michael Dunn of Milwaukee to find an Irish piper to join the Faugh-a-Ballagh Club's contingent in the parade. [By the way, this is not Milwaukee fireman and piper Michael J. Dunn. This Michael Dunn was a local politician and Sheriff of Milwaukee 1893-94.] Dunn goes to Chicago to find a piper.
- After another day's hunt Captain Dunn eventually located J. K. Beatty, a South Side old Irish gentleman, who plays on the silver bagpipes for pleasure. Dunn approached him about going to Milwaukee to play, but as Mr. Beatty's knowledge of Milwaukee is mainly confined to its product [beer], he immediately remarked:
- "Arrah, wha does the Dutch know about music?"
- After a good deal of palaver and explanation of the parade, Mr. Beatty was induced to accompany Mr. Dunn, and this afternoon, seated on a high pedestal and surrounded by six jig dancers on a large wagon in the midst of the Faugh-a-Ballagh parade, Mr. Beatty will blow his pipes to the tune of the "Wedding of Ballyboreen" and other kindred airs, while the dancers will pound the floor of the wagon to the time set by him.
An article from 1902, probably by John Ennis, about Irish piping in Chicago, says "there are a number of excellent players in Chicago who are never heard except in the privacy of their homes. Of the latter John K. Beatty is the best known. Mr. Beatty is a splendid performer and possesses a more extended knowledge of pipes and Irish musical lore than any man in this country."
Much is uncertain about Beatty's personal and professional life. O'Neill says that he was in the Illinois Militia during the US Civil War (1861-65). I have found no evidence to support this. The 1910 US Census asked enumerators to find out if men canvassed were survivors "of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy." The answer for Beatty was "No." A John K. Beatty, mason, was also listed in Chicago city directories for 1864 and 1865.
City directory listings for other years had Beatty as bricklayer, builder, contractor. He is mentioned in newspapers 1870-90 as contractor with or employee of, variously, Cook County, the City of Chicago and the Village of Hyde Park. At the time Hyde Park was a suburb to the south of Chicago; it was annexed to the city in 1889. In the newspapers there are clues to bidding and contract disputes and mentions of recurring litigation. O'Neill recalls Beatty moving from a "pretentious mansion" in Hyde Park to an "unfinished house" due to financial reverses. Hyde Park was Beatty's center of interest in the 1870s. In 1879 Beatty defaulted on property in Hyde Park, owing about $9,300 (equal to about $232,000 in 2019). By 1882 he was living and may have had an office at 3729 S. Morgan Street in Chicago's South Side. He was associated with this address at least until 1901, probably 1908. The building, appropriately of brick, still stands.
After 1878 there are references to him as sewer inspector for Chicago (1879), superintendent of repairs to Cook County Court House (1887), Mason Inspector for the City of Chicago (1900).
Perhaps 1880 was a financial low point. Best evidence indicates that Beatty's fortunes recovered and in the 1880s he ordered a set of bagpipes from the Taylor brothers of Philadelphia. No expense was spared. This is the well-known "Beatty set," one of the most elaborate - and heaviest - sets the Taylors made. It is shown in the photo of Beatty, above. The 1902 Ennis article says the pipes cost $500 (about $12,500 in 2019). The set was subsequently owned by Chicago pipers Edward J. Mullaney (1884-1971), then Joe Shannon (1916-2004).
John K. Beatty married Catherine O'Grady circa 1867. There is evidence that Catherine owned property. They had one daughter, Evelyn, born 1868. Catherine died in 1908. John Beatty was appointed executor of her estate, and her sisters, Fannie and Mary O'Grady, contested the will. They alleged Catherine "was not in control of her mental faculties" when the will was signed. The outcome of the case is not known.
Sometime after his wife's death Beatty began living with his daughter and her husband and children. Beatty died at Evelyn's residence December 31, 1913, 78 years old, "survived by his daughter and six grandsons and granddaughters." Both he and Catherine are buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois. Their graves are unmarked.
Selected References
Carolan, Nicholas A Harvest Saved Ossian Publications, Cork 1997 pp. 14-5 [O'Neill at Deering Street Station]
[Ennis, John] "Irish Pipes and Pipers. By Thomas Ennis, Chicago Pipers Club." The Gael. (An Gaodal.) : a monthly bi-lingual magazine devoted to the promotion of the language, literature, music and art of Ireland. published by M. J. Logan, New York. New Series vol. XXI, no. 2 Feb. 1902, p. 37
HathiTrust Digital Library
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044015365901;view=1up;seq=49
"Hibernian Ball." Chicago Sunday Inter Ocean March 18, 1888 p. 6 column 5
Newspapers.com
"Hyde Park. Board of Trustees" [example of work-related bidding dispute] Chicago [IL] Tribune Nov. 28, 1875 p. 7 column 4
Library of Congress Chronicling America
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84031492/1875-11-28/ed-1/seq-7/
"Irish Industries" [plays at Chicago World's Fair] Rock Island, IL Argus May 11, 1893 p. 4 column 1
Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections
https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=RIA18930511.1.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-rockisland+argus--------
"Irish Pipes in Milwaukee." Chicago IL Inter Ocean June 29, 1899 p. 2 column 1
Newspapers.com
Kelly, Michael private communications April 2019 [genealogical information]
"The Law Courts. Circuit Court. City Sewers-Judgment." [example of work-related litigation] Chicago [IL] Tribune Dec. 24, 1870 p. 4 column 3
Library of Congress Chronicling America
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014064/1870-12-24/ed-1/seq-4/
"Legal Notices Trustee's Sale" [default on Hyde Park property] Chicago IL Daily Inter Ocean June 23, 1879 p. 9 column 2
World Newspaper Archive
"Mr John K. Beaty In Chicago...." [advertisement] New York Clipper May 27, 1882 p. 164 column 3
New York NY Clipper 1881-1882 - 1032.pdf
"Obituary." [John K. Beatty] Chicago [IL] Tribune Jan. 1, 1914 p. 21 column 2
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
O'Neill, Francis Irish Folk Music Chicago 1910 pp. 25-26
O'Neill, Francis Irish Minstrels and Musicians Chicago 1913 pp. 281-82, 293-94
Piggott, Richie private communications April 2016 [unmarked graves]
Quinn, David M. "Passionate Industry: The Taylor Style." [Beatty set] Seán Reid Society Journal vol. 2 March 2002 article 2.09
http://seanreidsociety.org/SRSJ2/passionate%20industry.pdf
"Sisters Fight Will; Cry Fraud" Chicago [IL] Daily Tribune April 1, 1909 p. 11 column 1
Chicago IL Tribune 1909 - 0012.pdf
"Wearers of the Green. Dr. Cronin's Friends." Chicago IL Daily Inter Ocean March 18, 1890 p. 6 column 4
Chicago IL Daily Inter Ocean 1890 Mar-Apr 1890 00134.pdf
Nick Whitmer
April 2019 addition May 2021